Beansmomma: thanks for the reminder about iron. i ran out of my prenatals last week and keep forgetting to get some new ones. no wonder i've been craving meat lately! DH made a wonderful beef stir fry with this organic beef we get here that is honestly the tenderest meat I've ever eaten!

As for the cat, don't worry about it. My cat slept with me for all her 10 years when DD was born, and it was no problem. For one thing, she did not like a newborn and stayed away from that strange creature, lol. If she did try to get to close, she just got tossed to the foot of the bed (amazing how we were able to do this practically in our sleep, lol). So she basically knows to stay below tummy level. Though now DD and her get along well and sometimes kitty snuggles up against her. Honestly, dont' worry, it will be NO problem!

Katie, it gets worse before it gets better, hey? Big, big hugs to you...mirthfulmum said my thoughts to a Tee, so I'll just say to you... "what she said!".

So count me in as another "clueless" mama when it comes to BH, etc. Actually, now that someone described it as baby pushing against you, maybe I do know what they are, lol. But honestly I'm not sure!

OakEmber: have fun!!! enjoy your cabin and getting back to nature. I'm envious. DH has decided to buy a tent and sleeping bag and sleep in campgrounds as he makes his way across the country (driving our car and stuff back to Vancouver). Not only is it cheaper, but it's so nice this time of year to be in the outdoors. I actually, in a moment of insanity, suggested maybe we should all go together. Uh yeah..right. I have to pee twice per night, I'm gonna sleep on the ground when I'm so uncomfortable at night as it is, blah blah blah....anyways, I was just missing the outdoors so much!

I have to say, that as much as I really love being PG, and am already sad that this is probably my last, I'm also thinking "I am done"...I'm not sure I want to go through another pregnancy, lol. I think I'm getting too old for this!

He phoned late Friday and asked me about the fact that my job was ending and DH was listed as a "SAHD"...I got a bit uncomfortable. Saying "DH is looking for work right now" surely doesn't inspire much confidence. So I said we had savings set aside for this...yeah, at the Bank of Mum and Father-in-Law, lol. Anyways, so apparently the owners were a bit concerned about our ability to pay since we hadn't listed any employment. They asked for 3 months' rent up front. We said okay, so it's ours! DH will be hitting FIL up for a loan next week, lol.

I inquired further...all I knew was it had 2 br and insuite washer/dryer plus dishwasher. That was my minimum requirement, lol. Turns out to have 2 full bathrooms (all I can think of is that I can barely keep our one bathroom sanitary, how am I going to handle two? lol), and it's over 900 sq. feet. That's huge!! Still, nice to know it has lots of room. I was hoping to separate the play/toys area from the living area, as we have set up right now in our already large 1-br.

Anyways, I can't wait to set up home and get my diapers all on display!!

How do you pronounce Selah? Sorry to ask. Is it like Stella without the 't'? I luuuv the name Grace.

Regarding cosleeping with pets: We have two cats and two dogs. Usually the cats sleep with us (they've been with me 5 years longer than DH so they have seniority) and the dogs on the floor next to us.

Once I got pregnant and started having trouble sleeping, I moved into the upstairs guest room. The cats made me too hot and the dogs' fidgeting and clinking tags kept me awake. DH eventually followed and now we're making that our and the baby's room. Our entire upstairs is a pet-free zone (there's a door at the bottom of the stairs). Thank God. Otherwise I imagine the cats would have moved out on their own, like Piglet mentioned. Although I think eventually they'll realize the benefit of having a baby around (another warm body to sit on).

We start Birthing from Within on Tuesday. I am so excited! Poor DH is a little scared I think. He's worried she'll make him talk about his feelings, or even worse, paint them out. :LOL I told him No Eye-rolling Allowed. What frightens him the most is being pressured to hug strangers. He cracks me up.

I also heard a positive birth story this week. A friend's wife told me about her first child's birth. She thought she was going to the hospital too early, and was afraid they'd send her home because she wasn't in pain. Turns out she was quite dialated and pushed the baby out two hours after arriving at the hospital. She said by the time she felt like she wanted pain meds, she was in transition and it was too late and all over soon after. Those are the stories I like to hear.

Katie I'm so sorry to hear things are worse than you thought. You're being very brave and strong through this. Hope little Lucy is doing alright.

Dh and I have our first therapy session in the morning....wonder how it will go. Hope we like this lady - she is trained in "non-violent parenting" and is a former social worker, so maybe she will get the whole AP-thing. We need someone who will understand it, cause it is a big part of our lives.

My mama "friend" BTW, won't answer her phone. I guess I wouldn't, either. I just wanted dh to call her, in my presence, and tell her that he told me everything and was honest about their possible plans, and that we can't see them socially anymore. I'm not planning to tell HER husband or anything, though we are friends....their marriage is none of my business. I am trying so hard to be the mature, "bigger person" here.

About BH contractions: if you are having trouble knowing what they feel like, and you wanna know what one definitely feels like, have an orgasm and then pay attention!!! Your uterus will contract when you have an orgasm, so you will know.

gottaknit....Selah is pronounced Say-la....i haven't even decided if i totally like it, wanted to hear what you guys think...i mean i really like how they sound together, but don't know about calling out to someone that name, kwim?

Katie....that's great that your dh agreed to therapy...i hope it goes well for you.

have a dr. appt this am...i'm going every two weeks now.

since all the cousins on dh's side live away from us we always get together and have one big b-day party to celebrate everyone's at the same time...they are coming today..they won't be staying with me, but all the meals will be here. the boys are excited to see their cousins. they will be here till wed. morning.

Piglet - Congrats on the apartment ... it must be such a relief to have housing arrangements finalized. So many of you October mamas have had so many transitions during your pregnancies, I truly can't imagine. I'm a huge home-body, and my home is really centering for me. Moving towards the end of a pregnancy would be a nightmare for me!

3boyz4us: I really like Selah Grace ... Grace was our middle name of choice for our girl's name. I *love* Selah, it was on my list, but DH didn't really care for it, so it got nixed. I think they sound lovely together

About Braxton Hicks, I agree w/ Katie, it feels like a painless (to me at least) tightening of my uterus ... sometimes I wouldn't even notice if I wasn't touching my belly. I too experience the same sensation during/after orgasm (not that *that's* happened lately, :LOL )

Nancy, DH and I are just finishing up our Birthing From Within classes ... we actually have our last class tonight! He was *not* happy about the whole idea of "birth art", etc. to start off with, but I'm so impressed with his willingness to stretch his comfort levels for something that's important to me. He's totally not a touchy-feely guy, but BFW has given him an opportunity to explore some stuff that I know we wouldn't have had an opportunity to figure out on our own. It's really enhanced our sense of partnership and intimacy (and we had a great relationship going into it!) ... I'm really just so pleased with our experience I hope you guys enjoy it as much as we did.